A Look Back at Halloween 1969

In a little over a week the students of many elementary schools will march around the perimeter of their school dressed in their Halloween costumes.  It would be unthinkable today to wander off of school grounds running the risk of some catastrophe that could befall a student under the school’s care.  But that wasn’t always the case.  The brief footage here comes from Halloween 1969 as the students of Greenbrier Elementary School marched through the neighborhood.  The parade is led by Bozo, who happend to be my older brother.  I guess somethings never change.  You can read about my own Halloween parade experience in the pages of the book, Last Hand: A Suburban Memoir of Cards and the Cold War Era 

Book Signing on September 19th

I will be selling and signing copies of my new book:

Last Hand A Suburban Memoir of Cards and the Cold War Era

at the St. John’s 35th Annual Flea Market and Craft Fair, September 19th from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Location:

St. John United Church of Christ

1475 W. Algonquin Road

Palatine, IL (The southwest corner of Algonquin and Roselle roads)

Video Trailer of Last Hand: A Suburban Memoir of Cards and the Cold War Era with reviews

The video trailer provides a glimpse into the world of my book, Last Hand: A Suburban Memoir of Cards and the Cold War Era.

Old Commercials

When there were only seven channels on the TV to choose from, many of us watched the same shows and consequently saw the same commercials. And we saw them over and over again. Certain commercials had jingles that are hard to forget. Some of those jingles were nationally promoted products like Coca Cola and McDonalds but some of them were regional.

I’m sure there are people my age who know their own regional jingles that I would never recognize. There are of course many from the Chicago area that I’ll never be able to forget. Many can be found on a website I came across called fuzzymemories.tv. If you’re from the area or are curious about past Chicago TV culture, you should check it out.

Here’s one of my favorites: Call Boushelle now at Hudson 3-2700

'70s song of the day, "Black Water" by The Doobie Brothers

Beginning After the Finish

This is my first entry into the world of blogging. The idea of blogging came to me after finishing my book, Last Hand: A Suburban Memoir of Cards and the Cold War Era. I intend for the blog to be an extension of some of the themes and topics I discuss in the book. Those topics will include; childhood in the 1960s and ‘70s, suburban life around Chicago—both past and present, family life, ’70s culture, and maybe some material that didn’t make the book. Like the book, I hope it will provide a glimpse into an American past, which may be recent, is nevertheless gone forever.

I hope as I address these topics you’ll join in with your thoughts, opinions, and memories. And if you haven’t already, perhaps you’ll take a look at my book and join my family, if even just for a moment.